VerifiedGold Member

Ab work will tone and strengthen the muscles, but is not a weight loss tool. For that you need Cardio. Both however compliment each other very well.

For abs, you really need to hit all 3 areas...mid and lower abs, and obliques (sides). There are many exercises that work each, the key is actually doing them consistently.

For cardio, you need to elevate your heart rate to speed up your metabolism. There's always the basic running, aerobics (plenty of dvd's or you tube vids), biking etc. Jump rope is also something that can and does help, and can be done at home.

One thing that most fail at, is eating habits. 6 small healthy meals a day, and lowering your fat intake. If you seriously have a "beer belly", then the hardest to forgoe is probably going to be the beer, but remember, it's what got you here in the 1st place :tongue:

Remember, to lose any weight, you have to be burning more calories than you are taking in. No way is the "right way" more than others, but there are definitely "wrong ways" :wink:

yes, i know exactly how you feel, i have a stomach since i was a kid, im now tall and i look fine except for an inch of excess fat. there are some light excercises, you can make them up urself, you work with your body weight only, but i just cant find the strength to workout an hour a day after 6-7 hours of lessons at college, two hours here on lpsg and an hour of the simpsons...
anyway, its much like yoga, its important how ou breathe, inhale when widening the chest, exhale when going back. lay on the floor, bend the knees, and lift the hips in the air, pushing back with the shoulders, or with whole back, or laying w straight legs, lift the legs off the ground and keep them in the air, or write some letters in the air... pilates is great also, makes everything much more efficient because youre keeping ur ballance as well as exercising...
this post didnt have head nor tail but you will get the idea. good luck anyway.

I pretty much eat what ever I want, pasta, potatoes, steak, etc..... But I ride my bike six days a week and teach five spin classes a week too. Whatever diet you do, low cal-hi pro or opposite, just don't eat big meals. Just eat six to eight small meals a day and work out hard six days a week. Loose weight and gain cardiovascular health too. I usually wear out a set of bicycle tires every three months. Don't neglect eating and work out hard!

Gold Member

You guys rock! thanks for the great advice CountryGuy. You are right, not drinking beer is going to be the hardest part... I really enjoy going to the pub

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Don't blame the beer. The body sees calories as calories regardless of their source. That is not to say some foods are not more nutritious than others - they clearly are. But when talking caloric intake, all calories are equal. Therefore you don't have to give up beer entirely. Just account for the calories. Give up on the chips, heavy sauces, fast foods, etc.

I was faced with a similar dilemma. After going to my gym regularly, life got in the way and I stopped going for about 10 years. Eventually, unhappy with how I looked, I decided it was time to get back to the weights. The problem was if I had to go to the gym, I would never find the time. So instead I bought some modest equipment for my home. This way, if I had a half hour or hour to spare, I could easily workout without wasting the time associated with going to a gym such as traveling, changing, waiting for equipment, etc. I have been able to comfortably incorporate my workout routine into my schedule without interfering with other obligations. And I haven't had to give up beer. Good luck.

Gold Member

Cortisol is a stress hormone. In our tribal days, when we'd face the stress of famine, cortisol would kick in and put fat around our core. Very sugary foods will increase cortisol levels and trick the body into preparing for a famine, and store more fat around your core. Fuzzy thinks that you should avoid simple carbohydrates and do other things to reduce stress.

Gold Member

Vegetable juice (fresh, not that V8 crap) in place of a meal works wonders, and it is yummy too. I like carrot, beet, celery, and ginger with a shot of wheat grass on the side. Nutrient-dense, low calorie, and filling. Plus it helps cleanse your colon. Love it!

The scientific community comes up with new findings and changes everything every so often. Currently, cardio is bad because few people lose weight doing it. People who do cardio eat more afterwards but Weightlifters do not. Big muscles burn more fat during the excersize and hours after than cardio does. It was that carbs are terrible. Now it is carbs are good. It was once fat is bad. Now certain fats are good. Fat keeps you from getting hungry too soon. Used to be that skim milk was best now 2% or whole milk is preferred as the fats in milk make you lose weight. It was eat 6 small meals a day to boost metabolism. Science has found that there is no difference in eating 1 meal or 6 meals a day as far as metabolism is concerned. You just eat the same calories. But a starvation diet is counterproductive. You may lose a few pounds but more than likely you will gain it all back plus several pounds more. It was light weights and high reps. Now it is heavy weights low reps for building muscle and burning fat. Lifting a pencil 20,000 reps will not burn fat nor build muscle. It will wear the joints. It used to be do lots of sit-ups, then crunches to build abs and lose belly fat. Now it is planks, and using Bosu balls to "build the core" by making the body balance itself by tigthening the abs.=. Now it is found that using Bosu balls do not build the core as you use the legs muscles and not the abs to balance yourself while doing these excersizes. Also remember, it takes 250,000 crunches or sit-ups to burn 1 lb. of fat.
It all comes back to just eat right, be more active, don't over indulge in anything. It makes no sense to drink a lot of sodas or beer. If you want one, drink 1. You don't have to drink a 6 pack. You want a cookie? Eat one but no one needs to eat a dozen. Everything in moderation. Lifting weights is good. Strength is always good. Muscle burns fat and looks sexy. Over doing it can get you hurt.

The best way is to move your body, lift weights and eat a reasonable diet.
What ever you do to try to lose your belly, don't get discouraged as it will take time and effort. You didn't put it there over night nor will it go away in one work out session. It will take time.

JasonBig, any of your friends dying yet from a moderate amount of Cheetos yet? "everything in moderation". You are very young. You probably weigh 150#.
In my lifetime, a shit storm of hydrogenated, deep fried, Elestra-laddened, High Frutose Corn Syrup, super salty, super sweet food has entered the food chain; all of it made from some GMO starch; all of which, is supplied by big corporations at the cost of the world's health.
The simple act of moderation will be FATAL to you by the age of 55. Here in the US, healthcare costs are 30% of our GDP. Our food has way too much starch in it. Thousands of grams of this shit are consumed typically. It makes us feel good and can sit on a shelf indefinitely.
The only thing that helped me reverse an incremental 2 pounds a year increase in my weight was to go cold turkey:
No alchohol
No sugar
No carbohydrates from white starchy things, wheat, corn, rice, tapioca, carrots, beets, peas.
No caffiene, coffee, tea, sports or energy drinks
I started walking long distances, lifting weights and drink green vegetable juice. Within a week the pounds start melting off. 13# so far, for me. I maybe a certifiable "health nut" now but I'm not the mate who's funeral I attended last weekend.

Cut out all refined sugar and processed carbs. From my own experimentation, you have to keep things simple, stick to the rules and the results speak for themselves. If you cant afford a gym membership, try doing some interval running in the park where you alternate between shorts bursts of all out sprinting followed by recovery. This style of training has been shown to increase your resting metabolic rate for up 24 hours after training so your fat burning potential is greatly increased.